


lookin' good in a hotel bar

by sinceresapphire



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Exes, F/M, Getting Back Together, Hook-Up, LLF Comment Project, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 20:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinceresapphire/pseuds/sinceresapphire
Summary: Running into an ex usually isn't a fun experience but Ray finds that to be untrue while he trades his brother's wedding reception for the hotel bar.





	lookin' good in a hotel bar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plinys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/gifts).



> Inspired in part by the song - "Closer" by The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey 
> 
> Title taken from the song.

If there is one thing that Ray’s grateful for today is that the hotel where his brother’s wedding reception is taking place has a bar.

 

He knew he’d need an escape at some point.

 

There is only so much of ‘why aren’t you more like your brother’ talk that Ray can handle.

 

Of course, he doesn’t want to cause a scene or start drama today of all days, hence why he’s here in the bar.

 

The bartender looks at him in sympathy.

 

Ray can only imagine what she must be thinking but she’s been great so he won’t complain.

 

It’s not like he’s in love with the bride or anything.

 

She’s not his type.

 

A face flashes in his mind, the perfect example of what his type is.

 

A woman who challenged him, had brains and beauty in spades and really took the time to see beyond his ray of sunshine exterior.

 

He nearly chokes on his drink as his eyes land on a woman standing in the doorway of the bar.

 

Shaking his head, to try to clear it…it’s like his thoughts summoned her.

 

Nora Darhk.

 

Ray can tell the moment she spots him then recognizes him.

 

Her body freezes for a few moments, forcing the people behind her to walk around her.

 

Giving her a slight wave, he tries to play it off.

 

Like seeing the woman–he almost proposed to, again, for the first time since she ended things five years ago.

 

Nora steels herself then smiles back at him as she crosses the room.

 

“This is quite the surprise, Raymond.”

 

She says as she slides into the seat next to him at the bar with a smirk on her lips and he finds himself unable to resist smiling back at her.

 

Nora was always something else.

 

“A pleasant one, I hope. Or at least, not a terrible one,” responds Ray.

 

“It’s never a terrible thing to see you,” Nora states.

 

The bartender comes up to them and raises an eyebrow at Ray, who only chuckles in response.

 

“I’ll have a martini, please,” requests Nora.

 

“And it put it on my tab,” interrupts Ray causing her to roll her eyes fondly at his manners.

 

The bartender nods her head then quickly gets the martini she asked for.

 

Nora swirls the liquid around in her glass as she contemplates Ray for a few moments.

 

“I never thought I’d run into you in a hotel bar of all places,” she comments.

 

Ray shrugs.

 

“You can thank Sydney for that. I’m taking a break from his wedding reception,” he confesses.

 

She raises an eyebrow at that.

 

“Wow. Never thought I’d see the day _he_ would get married,” she responses.

 

Even without looking at her, Ray could here the near-snarl in her voice as she’s never been one of Sydney’s fans, much to his brother’s chagrin.

 

Sydney’s always been into Nora since Ray accidentally introduced them.

 

“I’d say that he’d wish it was you up there but it was never love he felt for you,” states Ray with a frown on his face.

 

Nora snorts.

 

“Understatement of the year, I think,” says Nora, “he always knew he’d never be the Palmer I want.”

 

Her eyes widen because she said **want** not **wanted**.

 

Quickly, she takes a sip of her martini.

 

Part of him wants to run with that but the bigger part of him doesn’t know how he feels about her now.

 

“Yes, well…I do like his new wife so there’s that.”

 

He doesn’t understand what she sees in his brother but they’re a happy couple so he supports them as he tries to be a good friend to her.

 

The Palmer family can be overwhelming.

 

“Let me guess, she’s the complete opposite of me,” comments Nora.

 

“Not completely but enough that they….” He trails off, not wanting to repeat what his family has said in the past.

 

“Enough that they approve of her,” finishes Nora for him.

 

“Nora….”

 

She shakes her head slightly then smiles at him.

 

“They always made themselves crystal clear and I accepted that; they’re your family.”

 

Ray isn’t sure what to say to her.

 

Taking a sip of his drink, he vaguely wonders if anyone wonders where he got off to.

 

“Your family disapproved of me the whole time we were together so was it wrong of me to think that you deserve someone better, someone they’d actually like?” questions Nora over the rim of her glass.

 

Ray frowns at the sentiment.

 

It’s not the first time someone’s said something like this.

 

His best friend Zari said something to her then girlfriend, Amaya and it didn’t go over well.

 

At least, for them, things worked out.

 

“Nora, I told you then that the only person who decides what’s best for me is me and I still mean it.”

 

He takes a swig of his drink.

 

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the moment we broke up. I miss you.” Ray states.

 

Their eyes meet and the electric undercurrent that, always present in their relationship, from the moment they met, sparks to life once again.

 

The desire to reach out and take his hand surges to life and she clenches her hand underneath the bar.

 

She takes a breath then smirks.

 

“There’s one thing I can easily admit and that’s I miss seeing how well you fill out a suit.”

 

Her eyes linger on his torso for a few moments.

 

Ray blushes because his innate sense of modesty flares up in response.

 

He’s never been good with compliments and innuendo like Sydney is.

 

“It’s not as awkward as it once was when we were in college,” he admits.

 

Nora laughs.

 

“I don’t know, you were pretty damn good when we were _together_ ,” she comments.

 

The nights they spent together, well, weren’t ones either would tell their parents about any time soon.

 

Ray looks at her with the soft look she remembers and it takes her back.

 

“So how have you been, Nora?” he asks.

 

“I’ve been good – keeping busy with work and seeing my father once every few months. He’s become frenemies with Malcom Merlyn,” she answers.

 

He chokes on his drink at her comment.

 

“Well, that’s _different_. I haven’t seen Tommy or Thea in ages so I’m not surprised that I didn’t know that,” he replies, amused now that he’s over his shock.

 

Secretly, he’d like to be a fly on the wall when the two men are in the same room together.

 

“I figured you would get a kick out of that,” she replies.

 

Silence falls over them as they take a moment to enjoy their respective drinks.

 

It’s strange, he thinks, how easily they’ve fallen back into the comfort of their former relationship.

 

He knows people thinking running and talking to an ex should be awkward.

 

But it isn’t; he appreciates that about Nora.

 

She knows him very well and makes it so easy to talk to her.

 

Something catches Nora’s attention over his shoulder so he turns to look at whatever it is.

 

He’s not surprised to see that it is Laurel and Nyssa.

 

“So, I take it Laurel isn’t with Queen anymore?” inquires Nora.

 

“She dumped him awhile ago. The brunette woman she’s with is her wife, Nyssa,” he explains.

 

Nora smiles at the comment.

 

“Good. She deserves to be happy,” Nora comments.

 

Ray remembers that Nora and Laurel always got along in the past and that she never thought Oliver deserved her.

 

Once the women disappear from view, they return their attention to the other.

 

It doesn’t take them long to talk about what they’ve been up to over the years.

 

Nora’s been traveling the world as an up and coming photographer and writer while Ray’s started Palmer Tech and been named the company to watch, much to the chagrin of the Queens.

 

During the conversation, they move closer to each other.

 

Nora’s hand rests softly on his arm as she smiles at while listening to a story about an invention gone wrong.

 

“If it wasn’t for Cisco, I probably would have lost a hand.”

 

She shakes her head at him.

 

“I imagine that would have put a damper on the whole inventing thing you’ve got going on.”

 

“Yes, but I don’t think it would have stopped me.”

 

At that moment, he realizes how close they are and the way that Nora is looking at him.

 

It stirs something up inside of him.

 

Something he thought long dead but really only went dormant for some time.

 

“Perhaps, this accidental meeting isn’t so accidental, _Raymond…”_ says Nora as she places her empty glass down on the counter.

 

He licks his lips as his eyes look at her lips.

 

Remembering what it was like to kiss her, he moves slightly and cautiously to give her the chance to move or push him away.

 

But she doesn’t.

 

The smirk on her lips as she looks between his eyes and lips tells him that she wants this as much as he does.

 

If he kisses her, there’s no going back.

 

He knows this won’t help with getting over her as he realizes he isn’t as over her as he thought.

 

But its clear she’s not over him either.

 

Looking at Nora, he takes a breath then captures her lips with his own.

 

Kissing her again after so long feels wonderful.

 

She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him down closer to her.

 

After a few moments, they pull apart but lean their foreheads against each other.

 

“I’ve missed this, missed you,” Nora admits with a soft smile.

 

“So…have I,” he replies.

 

Standing, she takes his hand and pulls him out of the bar.

 

The fact he ditched Sydney’s wedding reception didn’t hit him until the next morning.

 

Sunlight streams into the room through uncovered windows.

 

Ray wakes up after feeling the sun on his skin for a couple minutes then it takes him another minute to remember what happened last night.

 

Running his hand gently through Nora’s hair, he lets out a sigh of contentment.

 

He should feel guilty, awkward or something because he ditched the reception to sleep with his ex-girlfriend but he doesn’t.

 

What happened last night and waking up with her this morning only feels right.

 

“Mmm….morning Ray,” Nora says as she wakes up.

 

“Good morning, Nora. Sleep well?” he asks.

 

Shifting slightly, she smirks as she looks up at him the best she can from her position.

 

“More like _great_ morning and I always sleep well after using up a lot of energy.”

 

He blushes, he always does when she says something like that.

 

Nora kisses him.

 

“Do you…do you regret last night?” she asks nervously.

 

As Ray considers the question, she bites her lip.

 

“No, I don’t. The only regret I have is letting you go but I know it’s what you wanted…so it’s okay,” he replies softly.

 

Something warm blossoms in her chest at the words.

 

There’s been many nights Nora regretted breaking up with Ray, though the time apart seems to have done them both a world of good.

 

“Was last night just a one-time thing or….?” Ray trails off, not knowing how or willing to say what he wants to say.

 

Nora shakes her head.

 

“I don’t want it to be.”

 

He smiles slightly at her comment.

 

“What do you want, Nora?” he asks.

 

It’s simple.

 

She wants him.

 

He’s the love of her life and she knows it now.

 

“I want you.” She states.

 

“Then you can have me for as long as you want.” He replies.

 

“How about forever?”

 

“I can do forever.”

 

Nora snuggles closer and smiles against his shoulder when she feels his arm tighten around her.

 

“What about your family though?” Nora can’t help asking.

 

“They’ll deal with it if they want to be in my life. I’ve done enough, sacrificed enough for them over the years,” Ray says firmly.

 

When was the last time his family did anything for him?

 

When did they support him for the sake of supporting him?

 

It is time for Ray to choose his happiness.

 

Nora makes him happy.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> “If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!“


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